Olivia D'Abo Movies
The daughter of British musician Michael d'Abo (of Manfred Mann), London-born actress Olivia D'Abo is most widely known as Kevin Arnold's hippie sister, Karen, on The Wonder Years.The beloved nostalgic show ran from 1988 to 1992 on ABC and continues to live on in syndication. However, D'Abo had already made her film debut back in 1984 with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Destroyer as a damsel in distress. Other than the monumentally bad Bolero, her other films have mostly been forgettable until 1994 when she cemented her position in Generation X by starring in Noah Baumbach's Kicking and Screaming. She played Jane, the girl who chose to study abroad rather than date Josh Hamilton's character. Around the same time, she wore very little clothes around the aging Kirk Douglas in Jonathan Lynn's Greedy and she played opposite aging Armin Mueller-Stahl in Bob Balaban's The Last Good Time. In the late '90s, she found a place for herself as a voice actor on animated TV shows. Starting with Mortal Kombat: The Animated Series, her voice credits have grown to include Justice League, Batman Beyond, and the Titanic video game. In 2001, she provided the voice of Jane in Disney's The Legend of Tarzan and its subsequent feature-length film. In 2003, she did the voice of Rox in The Animatrix: Matriculated. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Dana Carvey plays a private detective who forgets everything when he goes to sleep at night, waking up each morning with a "clean slate," in this hit-and-miss comedy that plays like a companion piece to the much funnier Groundhog Day. Pogue (Carvey) is afflicted with his unique form of amnesia after getting injured in a car explosion. With the aid of a mysterious woman (Valeria Golino) who allegedly died in the bombing, he must find a priceless coin and evade the murderous clutches of the mobster (Michael Gambon) who executed the explosion and who wants to silence Pogue before he can testify against him. Carvey fares reasonably well in his role, but the best moments are provided by Pogue's dog, a one-eyed Jack Russell named Barkley who makes a habit out of running into things headfirst. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Carvey, Valeria Golino, (more)
It's been said that nothing can bring two men closer together than a dollar placed between them, and a large family finds themselves becoming far closer than they'd like over several million dollars in this satiric comedy. Uncle Joe McTeague (Kirk Douglas) is an elderly man with a multi-million dollar fortune that he made in the scrap metal business and has no immediate heirs. While Joe has no children, he has plenty of relatives, most of whom don't really like him but want to curry his favor in hopes of inheriting his money when he dies (and Uncle Joe is just shrewd enough to know this). However, Uncle Joe has hired a "nurse," Molly Richardson (Olivia D'Abo), who considers modeling bikinis in Joe's Jacuzzi to be therapeutic. The family is afraid that Molly will end up with the lion's share of Joe's money after they've been bending over backwards to earn his approval, so they bring in a ringer. Daniel McTeague (Michael J. Fox) is one of the only members of the family that Uncle Joe actually likes; a professional bowler of no particular skill, Daniel is the son of the family's black sheep, a leftist activist who decided years ago and wanted nothing to do with Uncle Joe. But Joe has a soft spot for Daniel and his imitation of Jimmy Durante, so the family tracks him down and has him come to visit his uncle. The idea is that if Daniel can get on Uncle Joe's good side, he'll be rewarded in his will, and then Daniel will share his fortune with the rest of the family. So Daniel and his wife Robin (Nancy Travis) move to be closer to Uncle Joe, but Daniel soon discovers that he doesn't like his family much more than Uncle Joe does. Greedy also features Phil Hartman, Ed Begley, Jr., Bob Balaban, Jere Burns, and Kirsten Dunst as some of the venal members of the extended McTeague Family; incidentally, the name "McTeague" is a reference to the lead character in Erich von Stroheim's silent epic Greed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Kirk Douglas, (more)
Everyone's favorite headbangers from Aurora, Illinois, are back in this sequel to the 1992 hit comedy Wayne's World. The success of their TV show allows Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) to finally move out of their parents' homes, but now they have to figure out what to do with their lives. Wayne's girlfriend, up-and-coming rock star Cassandra (Tia Carrere), is enjoying a career boost thanks to her new manager Bobby Cohn (Christopher Walker), but Garth thinks that Bobby is more interested in her body than her place on the charts. Meanwhile, Wayne is visited in a dream by the late Jim Morrison (Michael A. Nickles), who convinces him to promote a massive rock festival, "Waynestock," featuring Aerosmith as headliners. Garth, on the other hand, is finally relieved of his pesky virginity by femme fatale Honey Hornee (Kim Basinger), though it turns out that Honey has a hidden agenda. Drew Barrymore, Harry Shearer, and Charlton Heston play cameo roles in Wayne's World 2, and Jay Leno, Rip Taylor, and Todd Rundgren appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, (more)
- 1993
A woman involved in a satanic cult (Olivia D'Abo) is looking for the devil's new bride. She takes a job as a nanny to find the victim. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivia D'Abo, Marcy Walker, (more)
Director John Badham's remake of French action thriller La Femme Nikita moves the action to the U.S., where Maggie (Bridget Fonda) is a strung-out Washington, D.C. drug addict who kills a policeman in a pharmaceutical-induced haze. Sentenced to death, Maggie is rescued by a shady operative, Bob (Gabriel Byrne), who offers to save her life if she'll become a covert government assassin. Maggie agrees and trains for a life as a professional killer under a new name, Claudia. Her classes include weaponry, martial arts, explosives, and even social graces under the tutelage of Amanda (Anne Bancroft). Claudia is transformed into a classy sophisticate and is assigned to Venice, California, where she falls for J.P. (Dermot Mulroney), an attractive photographer who lives downstairs. Claudia's highly dangerous job soon interferes when she's ordered to carry out a series of clever assassinations, including a hit in a restaurant and a hotel bombing. When one particular killing goes horribly wrong, she gets some assistance from Victor the Cleaner (Harvey Keitel), a disposal artist who may have also been ordered to get rid of Claudia. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bridget Fonda, Gabriel Byrne, (more)
- 1993
In this awful black comedy, an aging bank robber tries to pull off one final caper. Things go awry and he ends up staying in a raunchy hotel. The crime is well-publicized, but fortunately the equally seedy residents there keep mum. Unfortunately, they are determined to literally nickel and dime him to death by making him pay dearly for even the smallest favors. Things look bleak until a kindly hooker falls in love with him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Dempsey, Lisa Bonet, (more)
- 1992
Picard's perennial nemesis Q (John DeLancie) makes his first sixth-season appearance in this episode. On this occasion, Q sets forth to test Enterprise medical intern Amanda Rogers (Olivia d'Abo), whose parents were originally from the Q continuum. The testing process reaches its peak when Amanda begins displaying Q-like tendencies, leading to a difficult decision between her present self and her true heritage, and a potentially larger crisis involving a dangerously polluted planet. First telecast October 31, 1992, "True Q" was written by Rene Echevarria. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Making great fun of the '70s, this lively sci-fi comedy centers on a trio of time travellers who go into the past in hopes of retrieving the Constitution to celebrate America's 300th birthday. Unfortunately, the travelers end up in 1976 not 1776. The trouble is, they don't realize it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Cassidy, Olivia D'Abo, (more)
In Beyond the Stars Martin Sheen plays a former astronaut who befriends misunderstood teenager Christian Slater. Gradually warming up to the boy, the previously taciturn Sheen alludes to an incident in his past that he was ordered to keep secret. This disturbs Slater's dad Robert Foxworth-a former NASA functionary. The film was scripted by Tom Benedek of Cocoon fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, (more)
- 1988
In this lively comedy, a womanizing actor dies and is granted a second chance at life on the condition that he remain faithful to only one woman. That's easier said than done, and once he's back on Earth he must choose between a virtuous lass and a shady lady. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Greenwood, Vanessa Angel, (more)
- 1988
A group of mischievous teen-agers get a notoriously difficult instructor that becomes their summer driving school teacher. ~ All Movie Guide
A young drifter is caught in the clutches of a pair of femme fatales (Susan Anspach and Olivia D'Abo) in this thriller also known as Legend of Wolf Lodge. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Anspach, Art Hindle, (more)
- 1986
Hoping to earn enough money to purchase a car, Mike (Kirk Cameron) lands a job at World of Burgers, a local fast-food restaurant. Subsquently, Mike is honored as "Employee of the Month", prompting Jason (Alan Thicke) and Maggie (Joanna Kerns) to reward him by putting up the money for his car. With this in mind, how in the world can Mike bring himself to tell his parents that he's just been fired? In her second Growing Pains appearance, Olivia D'Abo plays the careless coworker who brings about Mike's ignominious dismissal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
In this violent actioner, the gentle Morris family moves into a peaceful mountain community to find a quieter, safer way of life. Unfortunately, they soon discover that the town in totally controlled by a clan of fiendish thugs, the Cullens, who welcome the new family by savaging the mother, tormenting the father and beating up the girl friend of their teenage son, Matt, who survives the ordeal and soon gets his violent revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Hunter, Jonathan Crombie, (more)
- 1986
Originally telecast October 4, 1986, Really Weird Tales was meant to be a satirical spin on the old Twilight Zone series. SCTV regulars John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara and Joe Flaherty head the cast of this 90-minute comedy anthology. The tenor of the project can be gauged by the first playlet, "All's Well That Ends Strange," the story of a wastrelly lothario uncovering a Horrible Secret. Laughs? Of course there are laughs. All that's missing in Really Weird Tales is the strong storytelling sense that Rod Serling injected into his Twilight Zone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The curiously neglected A Dream to Believe (aka Flying) can be summed up as a distaff Rocky. Olivia D'Abo is starred as a teen-aged girl who dreams of becoming a top gymnast. Human, emotional and financial roadblocks do not dissuade D'Abo, nor do her own severe physical shortcomings. You can see the ending come a mile away, but there'll still be tears in your eyes. Filmed in Canada, A Dream to Believe enjoyed a second life in video stores thanks to the presence in the cast of a pre-stardom Keanu Reeves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivia D'Abo, Rita Tushingham, (more)
- 1986
- R
Weapons expert Cooper (Robert Ginty) travels to Central America to help deliver arms to a rebel force, but his friend (Cameron Mitchell) is killed by a mercenary force. Cooper takes over command of the rebel army, determined to finish what his friend started. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Robert Ginty, star of James Glickenhaus's The Exterminator (1980), returns for a similar outing in the 1985 actioner Mission Kill. He plays Cooper, an explosives expert summoned by a Green Beret friend Harry (Cameron Mitchell), on a mission to smuggle arms into the (fictional) South American country of Santa Maria. The picture co-stars Merete Van Kamp and Harry Darrow. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ginty, Merete Van Kamp, (more)
- 1985
Now that Jason (Alan Thicke) is a stay-at-home dad, Maggie (Joanna Kerns) begins to worry that he is monopolizing the children. The limit comes when Carol (Tracey Gold) comes to Jason to discuss a "boy problem", which once upon a time was exclusively Maggie's domain. Meanwhile, Mike (Kirk Cameron) goes to extreme (and extremely hilarious) lengths to cover up the fact that his girlfriend's dog has run away while he was taking care of the mutt. Olivia D'Abo makes the first of her two Growing Pains appearances, this time in the role of nonplussed dog owner Wendy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
